Facts Matter

 

(Editor's Note:  Yesterday I tried to publish a guest post in this space, and, due to formatting issues, failed spectacularly.    Today, I am trying again - and will not relent until the deed is done!  

Mike Box, the author of "Facts Matter" is an old friend from college in the 1960's who has a sharp legal mind, a keen understanding of geo-politics, and personal knowledge of the inner-workings of the Episcopal Church.  A few days ago I wrote to him and asked if he would submit something to "The Ramble" dealing with the Episcopal Church's determination not to enable Donald Trump in his racist refugee relocation policies, and he shot back a lengthy submission in less than an hour.  Needless to say, I must have touched a nerve!

What follows is Mike's appraisal of the situation of the Trump administration moving a group of white South Afrikaners to the head of the refugee resettlement line, along with some relevant history on the subject.  Please enjoy and share.  Thanks, Mike, for providing us with your unique perspective on the matter. ~ Pa Rock)

Facts Matter

    by Mike Box

    A Christ-Follower

The President was inaugurated to a second term of office on January 20th, and within hours he enacted an indefinite pause on the admissions of refugees, who are identified as people fleeing war and violence overseas and who undergo a years-long vetting process before being admitted into the U.S. legally.  On January 21st the Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington (D.C.) said to President Trump  "In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared."  Budde continued, "There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent. families, some who fear for their lives."   The day before Trump has issued an Executive Order "Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid."  On January 31st, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Right Reverend Sean Rowe, announced the effective closing of Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) with the layoff of 22 employees.  Only a skeletal staff remained under the leadership of Reverend Sarah Shipman to wind down.

On February 7th Mr. Trump signed another Executive Order, this one "Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa."   The major grievance of the white South Afrikaners is the passage of the "Republic of South Africa Expropriation Act of 2024."   This bill was deliberated in the South African Parliament with months of debate.   It is essentially an Eminent Domain law that allows private property to be taken for public purposes, and contains language for both fair compensation and for taking without compensation.  South Africa is struggling with issues of wealth inequality after years of white South Afrikaners ruling the nation under apartheid.  South Africa's President Ramaphosa admits the new law is aimed in part at redistribution of South African wealth.

In the February 7th Executive Order Mr. Trump, in Section 4 of that Order, lifted the ban on immigration which opened the door for these white South Afrikaners to board a State Department chartered plane to bring them to the United States.  Trump advisor Elon Musk, also from South Africa, claims the government there discriminates against whites.  The government of South Africa vociferously denies that claim.  Also, in a letter to President Bishop Rowe, the Most Reverend Thabo Makgoba, archbishop of the Anglican Church of South Africa (ACSA) wrote:

Dear Presiding Bishop Sean,

I write to thank you for your call on Sunday, and to assure you of our gratitude for the stand you have taken in support of ACSA and South Africa in regard to the group of South Africans being resettled by your Administration.  

What the Administration refers to as anti-white racial discrimination is nothing of the kind.  Our government implements affirmative action on the lines of that of the United States, designed not to discriminate against whites, but to overcome the historic disadvantages black South Africans have suffered.

By every measure of economic and social privilege, white South. Africans as a whole remain the beneficiaries of apartheid.  Measured by the Gini coefficient, which measures income disparity, we are the most unequal society in the world, with the majority of the poor black, and the majority of the wealthy white.

While U.S. supporters of the South African group will no doubt highlight individual cases of suffering some members might have undergone, and criticize TEC (the Episcopal Church) for its action, we cannot agree that South Africans who have lost the privileges they enjoyed under apartheid should qualify for refugee status ahead of people fleeing war and persecution from countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Afghanistan.

Please feel free to share this letter publicly.

The facts are that white South Afrikaners are beneficiaries of black labor, much like plantation owners and other wealthy institutions in America - including the Episcopal Church.  These South Afrikaners are not marginalized persons.  They have been permitted, because of their wealth and their skin color, to leapfrog over more deserving candidates for immigration, candidates who have been vetted over a lengthy and time-consuming process.  The Episcopal Church will not be compliant in furthering the overt racist policies of Mr. Trump.   On May 12th Presiding Bishop Rowe announced the end of the Episcopal Church's entanglement with the Trump administration in this area.  He said, "In light of our church's steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of South Africa, we are not able to take this step.  Accordingly we have determined that, by the end of the federal fiscal year, we will conclude our refugee resettlement grant agreements with the U.S. federal government."    Episcopalians, much like Germany's Confessing Church that stood up in vocal opposition to Adolph Hitler, will not collaborate with the clear and present evil affecting the United States today.

Death of the Penny

 

by Pa Rock

Penny Pincher

The US Treasury, a subsidiary of the Trump Organization, announced yesterday that it will quit making pennies early next year.  The treasury has placed its last order for the metal blanks used to make pennies, and when when they run out of those, the penny will stop being produced and quickly fade from our commerce system.

I lived on Okinawa for two years a little more than a decade ago, and there the military had already phased out the use of pennies in all of its local commerce like the Base Exchanges and the food shops on the military bases.  When you made a purchase, the total price was rounded up or down to the nearest nickel.  Pennies were never given or taken in change, and the US banks on base did not handle them.  Rounding up or down to the nearest nickel was an easy system to understand and navigate, and the transition nationwide will probably be relatively easy.  If it is not, expect Fox News and Trump to blame the entire situation on Biden.

Apparently each penny in circulation now costs four cents to make, so Trump could be mandating it as a smart economy measure.   But since Donbo is more about spending public money (birthday parades, weekly golf outings, living large, etc) than he is about saving it, I doubt the economics of the matter was his first consideration.  I suspect is was 'Lincoln envy,' and that Trump has plans to eventually place himself on some, most, or all US coinage and currency.    Look for MTG or someone as smart as her to soon introduce a bill in Congress to that effect.

Until then, spend 'em while you got 'em!

Maybe Tomorrow

by Pa Rock

Frustrated Typist

My plan for this space today was to publish a post which I solicited from my good friend, Mike Box, a person who is very knowledgable on geo-politics as well as the workings of the Episcopal Church.  Mike's post focuses on that church's recent decision to stop participating in Trump's increasingly racist immigration policies. 

Unfortunately, I have been plagued in the effort by monstrous technical difficulties along with an overcoating of computer ignorance.  Parts of the post did appear at various times this morning, but never the whole thing.  I have literally run out of time and patience in the effort to share Mike's excellent work today, and will instead put it off until tomorrow when "Facts Matter" by Mike Box will run in this space.  It is one of the best pieces on the topic that I have read, and I encourage you to come back tomorrow and enjoy what Mike has to say - and then share it with others.  

Until then I will try to calm down and regroup!

Pa Rock

The Shortages Begin

 

by Pa Rock

Cagey Consumer

I remember all too well Trump's first disastrous term in the White House, the one where he almost got us all killed through his inattention to the emerging COVID pandemic, and then his ceaseless promotion of bad medicine and quack cures.  I remember, too, the shortages we had to endure.  Who would have ever suspected that ordinary, hard-working Americans would so quickly be reduced to brawling in supermarkets over rolls of toilet paper?

This time, as Don the Con returned to the White House, I stocked up on toilet paper and have enough on hand to wipe my butt at least through the end of this calendar year.   But preparing for shortages is a bit like playing 'whack-a-mole,' and as you deal with one possibility, something entirely unexpected pops up. Yesterday, I got a heads-up on one item of emerging scarcity which I had not anticipated.

My good friend from college days in the 1960's, Xobekim, whom I shall be referring to a "Mike," is retired and living in the Kansas City area.  Mike, like a lot of us senior citizens, spends many of his days following a more-or-less fixed routine, and part of his daily circuit involves stopping by a neighborhood Quick Stop where he purchases an iced tea each morning.  I too, like a big iced tea during the morning hours which I sip on while typing this blog.  It keeps the old synapses firing.   I buy bottled tea at the store and then ice it at home, which keeps me from having to run into town every morning.   To each his own, I suppose.

Mike emailed yesterday to warn about what may be an impending tea shortage.  He said that his local Quick Stop was out of regular, unflavored iced tea - and that their warehouse was also out of tea.  There are many Quick Stops in the Kansas City area, so that indicates this has the potential to be a really big issue.  Mike also pointed out that much of the world's tea comes from China.

Coincidence?  Not likely.  Trump's stupid tariffs were initially and primarily aimed at China.

I will be heading into town this afternoon and stocking up on bottled tea - if there is any left - and if the prices have not already shot into the stratosphere.

Elect a clown, get a circus!

American Consumers Fund Lavish Lifetyle

 

by Pa Rock

Citizem Journalist

On his made-up "liberation Day" (April 2, 2025) as he announced his plans to impose tariffs on goods from most of the countries in the world, Donald Trump intentionally led some Americans to believe that the tariffs would be paid by the nations sending their goods into the United States, and that the US Treasury would be rolling in the dough provided by those foreign governments.  To his credit, Trump may have actually believed that was true because he isn't very smart - and his closest aides are smart enough to never tell him anything that he does not want to hear.

The truth is, of course, that tariffs are paid by the importers, those purchasing the goods from abroad and then bringing them into the country - and because the importers pay more for the merchandise, higher costs ultimately get passed on to consumers.

Trump proceeded to peddle his baloney for several weeks, but now he seems to have reversed course and is trying another subtrefuge.

Walmart CEO and President Doug McMillion told investors while on a quarterly earnings call last week that his company, the largest retailer in the United States, would likely be raising prices due to the tariffs.  McMillion, himself an Arkansas native, didn't mince words.  The price of goods from overseas was increasing due to Trump's new tariffs, and Walmart, where millions of Americans, many of whom are Trump supporters, go to shop and socialize, would be forced to raise prices accordingly.

Trump was not amused.  In one of his infamous late-night rants on social media he roared that Walmart should "eat the costs of the tariffs" and not pass them along to consumers (an admission that the tariffs are actually paid on the American end of the transaction).   In a subsequent phone call, McMillion acquiesced, to a point, and told the bellicose President that Walmart would absorb some of the costs added by the tariffs.  Trump, ever the bully, warned that he would be watching and so would Walmart's customers.  Then he headed for the golf course.

But Doug McMillion, who has been in charge of Walmart for over a decade, is no fool, and neither are the CEOs of the other corporate giants in northwest Arkansas, companies with enormous national footprints such as Tyson Foods and Jones Truck Lines -  and neither are the rest of America's corporate giants - even Tesla.  They will not be absorbing any consequential amounts of the tariff price increases.  If Americans want goods produced overseas, or composed of parts made overseas, they will be paying more - regardless of what the CEOs tell the buffoon in the White House.

Trump's economics are voodoo and his concern for the pocketbooks of real Americans non-existent.  He's no more honest about those things than he is about his golf scores.

Attention Walmart shoppers - you are about to have your pockets picked.  But the good news is that with the new tariff revenue - straight from your pockets - Trump will be able to afford his $92 million birthday parade and the $500 million to $1 billion in security upgrades for his new passenger jet gift from the Qatari royal family - and the weekly golf outings to his own private golf clubs will also be able to continue.

Suck it up, America.  Your sacrifices are funding a lavish lifestyle worthy causes!

Pirate School

 

by Pa Rock

Pirate Wannabe

Greetings from Springfield, Missouri, the "Queen City of the Ozarks, where I am once again holed up in a hotel with one eye hidden by a patch and the other experiencing blurry vision from overwork. I had cataract surgery on my right eye this morning.  Two weeks ago I had. the same procedure on my left eye..  Both surgeries went smoothly, and I could not be more pleased with my eye care provider - Matttux Neu Prater Eye Clinic of Springfield - and its highly competent and cheerful staff.

(I am writing this on Monday evening following this morning's surgery, and I will post it on Tuesday as I head back to the clinic for the firsst of two followups.  By it being the second identical surgery in two weeks, I have learned the routine!)

Cataract surgery is a relatively simple procedure - from the patient's perspective - and one that many old people experience.  The hard part comes when I get home and have to start the eye drops regimen.  I am now taking a total of four (I think!).   My left eye will be getting one drop a day from three different eye droppers, and a second drop from one of those - and my right eye will be receiving four drops a day (at different times) from two eye droppers, and two drops a day from two others.  In addition I have one eye drop that each eye will receive once at bedtime.  I'll do the best I can.  Maybe when the patch comes off in the morning I will even be able to read the labels.  I probably need an at-home nurse to manage my life.

One ringy dingy . . . two ringy dingies . . . "Hello, hospice?"

My youngest son, Tim, told me this morning that he remembers when he was small and his granddad came home with a patch over his eye after eye surgery,  (Probably the same procedure that I just experienced.)   Tim said that he asked me why Granddad was wearing a patch over his eye, and I told him that he had just been to pirate school - and he believed me!

I'm glad Tim remembered the little nugget of family history, because I had completely forgotten it.

Mattux Nu Prater gives each of their surgery patients a small gift as they leave after eye surgery:  Things like water bottles and ball caps with the clinic name on them, as well as small live plants attractively potted.  Two weeks ago I chose a plant and gave it to Ranger Bob - who had provided me with a ride to the clinic - for his wonderful wife, Sandy.   This time I chose a ball cap and will probably give it to our big dog, Gypsy, who loves caps.  She has eaten several of Nick's.  I will tell her that I got it at pirate school!

Good vision is important to this old hillbilly.  It saves him from stumbling around in the darkness.

Keep smiling and stay focused!

Am I Wishing for Failure?

 

by Bob Randall

(Editor's note:  Good friend Ranger Bob is back with another post, this time regarding his views on the state of democracy in the United States, along with a running assessment of Donald Trump and his presidency.   My old college roommate, as usual, offers up plenty to ponder.  ~ Pa Rock)

Bill Maher, on Real Time recently monologued about American hypocrisy  (Google, New Rule:  Don't be a Hypocrite).   A few quotes should give you the idea:

• "If you find yourself suddenly hating something you loved five minutes ago or vice-versa, ask your doctor if Ivermectin is right for you."
• "This car (Tesla) used to be FIRE.  Now it's on fire.  Back when Elon Musk was presumed to be liberal, liberals loved electric cars and conservatives hated them.   Then Elon went MAGA . . .  MAGA Nation used to hate EVs . . . "
• "Republicans used to hate Russia . . . Now it's every Republican's dream country."
• "It would be easy to make fun of MTG . . . Jewish Space Lasers . . . Respond by June 31 . . . Catholic Bishops are controlled by Satan . . . "  (but when Sinead O'Connor said the same on SNL referring to pedophilia in the Catholic Church, we all thought it was wonderful.)
• " . . . challenge to not automatically rush to the opposite viewpoint based solely on who said it . . ."

You get the idea, especially if you think he's talking about someone else.   I will look in the mirror.  I think our nation is in the formative phase of the American version of fascism (don't substitute Nazism here).  It is led by Donald Trump.  Not because he is a fascist (he is), but because he likes the power, adoration, and money he can leverage from limitless power.   He admires dictators because he's a wannabe.

It scares me to think that our form of democracy or republicanism (lower case emphasized) is on the cusp of losing the checks and balances that make it work.   When I was in college, I took a political science class.   I hated it, and the only thing i remember was they talked about power politics and how the executive branch was winning.  I never, ever thought I would look back at that class and say, "I learned something useful."  Trump has an iron grip on the Executive, a lesser but firm grip on the Legislative, and a contemptuous and contemptible approach to the Judiciary.  The courts will work for him or else.

I read this morning that Trump "endorsed the idea that the United States Supreme Court had placed an 'illegal injunction' on him by temporarily blocking his administration's ability to deport Venezuelans accused of being gang members, without due process, while litigation plays out in the lower courts."  (Search The Independent via MSN for source.)   If Trump succeeds in intimidating the four Supremes who could either support or defy him, or simply ignore what they adjudicate, we will be experiencing the complete transformation to fascist Trumpism.

I have been watching a series on the Mongolian Empire on Netflix.  One of the jaw-dropping moments occurred when I noticed that Genghis Khan valued loyalty so highly from his subjects.   Do you feel like a subject, yet?

Finally, I have some guilt that I feel for the US and us.   I don't want a bad economy, but if a good economy gets Trump re-elected (a third term?), or enriches his MAGA base, or gets his minions elected, I have to contemplate the value of a declining economy.   Temporary, I hope.  If Trump is able to negotiate a peace in Ukraine or Gaza, or end the arms' buildup in Iran, that would elevate his standing.    I note here that those participants are at a point where they sure could use a way to back off yet save face.   Trump will claim the credit.   Do I wish failure in the peace efforts?  I'm torn.

I support elimination of waste, fraud, and abuse, but this isn't right.   I support freedom of speech, but that which doesn't include physical intimidation of others.   And along with that sentence, funding for scientific work at universities should not be politicized.   I like having a border, but not militarizing it.  We should spend that money on immigration judges.   Habeas corpus, due process - good.  Deportation to foreign prisons - bad.   Changing voting rules for political purposes - bad.

I could be wrong.   Maybe a solid Democratic win in Congress would be the victory I want.  Maybe not.  The Judiciary has to stand strong.  Trump may just ignore them.  I think the best way to stop American Fascism is through the impeachment/removal process in Congress, then try him in court, and afterwards throw him in prison.   While convicting him will be difficult since the Supremes muddied the "presidential duties"aspect of guilt, the ruling of immunity is absolute only for "core Constitutional powers."   "As for his remaining official actions he is entitled to at least a presumptive immunity."   As an example, selling access to the White House using a crypto currency is not core.   The only way to impeach him is for MAGA to lose their majorities in Congress by a wide margin.  The only way to do that is to feel some pain.  

Now, I really don't think much of Democrats either.   Some of them carry their advocacy to extremes and make no more sense than MTG's Jewish Space Lasers.   The last election was the Dems' to lose.  Their loss has many explanations.  The next election will again be the Dems' to lose.   The extremes of both ends have no balance.   How could they?  They're at the end of the spectrum.   That spectrum is the political horseshoe and the two ends approach the same place.

David Hogg is Right

 

by Pa Rock

Democrat

The fact that there is a controversy brewing in the heart of the Democratic Party should come as no surprise to anyone claiming to support that particular arm of the American political party structure.  Democrats are notorious for being free spirits, independent thinkers, and having a habit of not playing well with others, and especially other Democrats.  The current brouhaha is focused right at the heart of the Democratic national power structure:  the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

I have worked within the actual structure of the Democratic Party serving as a precinct committeeman in a county committee, and I understand the importance, from a committeeman's perspective, of supporting the ticket, top to bottom, in the general election,  (I won't say that I always did that because every now and then the voters in the primary would cough up a political hairball to run in the general election, but I held my counsel and I voted my conscience.)

As a member of a party committee - at the county, state, or national level - the expectation is that person will support the electoral process and try to keep it open and fair so that the best candidates may emerge to do battle with the GOP in the general election.

That's the way it should work, but sometimes the best people can't emerge in the primaries because some dinosaur of an incumbent is parked in the way, drawing a paycheck, and slowing progress.  Think Dianne Feinstein, Chuck Grassley, Nancy Pelosi, Strom Thurmond, Robert Byrd, Claude Pepper, Joe Biden, or Donald Trump.  Their use-by dates came and went, yet they persisted (or still persist) in office thanks to high name recognition and piles of campaign cash that they have collected and set aside over decades.  Removing a dinosaur from its place at the public trough is damned near impossible.

David Hogg was attending Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine's Day in 2018 when a fellow student showed up with an automatic weapon and opened fire, killing seventeen and wounding eighteen others.  To date it is the deadliest high school shooting in America's history.  David's experience led him to become a gun control activist as well as a strong supporter of the Democratic Party.  

Last year David Hogg helped to found a political action group called "Leaders We Deserve" which is dedicated to electing young progressives to public office.  In January of this year, the young activist, a recent Harvard graduate, also entered the political arena when he announced his candidacy for one of the five vice-chair positions in the Democratic National Committee (DNC), a position he ultimately won.   As an officer in the DNC, his is serving under the newly elected party chair, Ken Martin of Minnesota.

As the leader of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin sees the national committee's role as being that of a neutral arbiter, facilitating every candidate's attempts to win public office equally, without showing preference to one over another.  But David Hogg, who many see as a "disruptor," views it differently.  He recognizes the almost insurmountable advantages that incumbents have, and sees his role as being more of a promoter of pumping new blood - and energy - into the party.

David Hogg is quick to point out that in supporting young candidates in primaries against ancient blue-state Democrats who are incumbents in office, he is doing nothing that violates current Democratic Party by-laws.  But Ken Martin and other party officials see David as not being a "neutral arbiter," and have encouraged him to resign his position if he insists on encouraging and supporting primary opposition to the dinosaurs.  David Hogg has locked horns with tougher hombres than Ken Martin, and he is standing firm.

Now there is a push within the party to rewrite the by-laws to be more specific about neutrality, and ultimately force David Hogg to resign from the DNC.

This tired old party activist (age 77) agrees with Mr. Hogg (age 25).   The Democratic Party is well along the road to irrelevancy, and if something doesn't change substantively and quickly. the party will die - and it may take democracy with it.  The stakes are just too damned high to sit around mired in the swamp of incumbency.

The Democratic Party will not strengthen itself by removing its squeaky wheel.  If it is going to start winning elections and turning the country around, every wheel on the party apparatus needs to be squeaking.  It's time for the old coots, like me, to sit down, shut up, and let the kids drive.  Maybe they can get us out of the ditch!

Change your by-laws, Ken.  That sounds like a bold and decisive move that is certain to go a long way toward removing the country from the evil clutches of Donald John Trump, especially if you were to pair it with a sternly worded letter from Chuck Schumer.  Perhaps you're the one who should think about resigning.

RFK, Jr, Takes his Grandkids for a Swim

 

by Pa Rock

Grandfather

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, our nation's spectacularly unqualified Secretary of Health and Human Services, gave himself a break from laying off under-paid and under-appreciated government employees last week in order to take some of his grandchildren for a swim.  Kennedy, a health nut (part of that description is right), snatched up the ones who were too slow to get away and took them for a swim in beautiful Rock Creek which runs through Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC.  Kennedy and his crew of kids went in for a swim, even though signs posted by the National Park Service clearly forbid swimming or even wading in the creek due to pollution.

The warning signs are exceedingly specific:

"Stay out of the water to protect streambanks, plants and animals, and keep you and your family (and pets!) safe from illness.  Rock Creek has high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading, and other contact with the water a hazard to human (and pet) health."

Later, after the family's refreshing swim, Bobby posted photos of their afternoon in the creek online.  One showed him completely submerged.

Why did Bobby Kennedy think he could go in the creek with his grandchildren when the National Park Service had instructed the public not to, and nobody else was swimming?  Because he is special and entitled.  He was born special, into a special family, with special advantages, and capable of making his own choices in life without the government getting involved.  Kennedy chose to use heroin - an illegal act - in his teen years and formed an addiction which lasted fourteen years.  He chose to consume whatever it was that left him with a parasitic worm in his brain.  He chose to dump a dead bear cub in New York City's Central Park a few years ago as a "joke."  He chooses to collect roadkill from America's highways and keep it in a freezer at his home.

And now Bobby is choosing which healthcare advice and practices to foist on Americans, and which to remove from the public's reach.

If Bobby Kennedy wants to swim in pollution, he is old enough to make that very bad, personal healthcare decision - but his grandchildren are not!

The welfare of a group of minors has been endangered.  Somebody should bring charges.

Executive Branch: More First Family Graft

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

I have posted in this blog on a couple of recent occasions about the Trump family's shameful peddling of access to the President through sales of their  $TRUMP meme coins.   Not only is the sale of these imaginary digital coins making the family rich, Donald Trump is offering access to himself through a competition which will reward the 200 individuals who buy the most of his family's meme coins with a dinner with him at one of his golf clubs - and a nighttime tour of the White House.  In con artist parlance that is is referred to as "pay to play," and from a good governance perspective - it stinks.

But Trump and his family, who now have less than four years left to profit from his presidency, have no intention to stop squeezing eggs out of the golden goose.  Membership in Trump's private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida doubled from $100, 000 to $200,000 when he was first elected President in 2016, and has risen steadily ever since.  Last year, not long before the 2024 election, it was at $700,000 and Trump announced that he was jacking the price of memberhsip to one million dollars.   Membership at Mar-a-Lago is limited to just 500 highly privileged individuals, and Trump said they had four memberships currently open.

People who purchase memberships to Mar-a-Lago also have an informal access to Trump who is often there.  At least three of the club members have moved on to ambassadorships in South Africa, Romania, and Hungary.

Now, in the spirit of Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump, Junior, has found another way to sell access to his father, or at least to big-name players in his father's administration.  Junior is a co-founder of a new private club in Washington, DC, called "Executive Branch," which looks as though its primary function is to help connect people with top level government officials in a comfortable and private setting.  

According to an article in the on-line news magazine "Daily Kos," administration officials who attended the launch party for Junior's club included:  Secretary of State Marco Rubio, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, Attorney General Pam Bondi, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, and Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Memberships in Junior's access club will no doubt be snapped up by lobbyists, officials of foreign governments, and filthy rich individuals who have specific axes to grind or merchandise and services to hawk.  

The pay-to-play fee for entry into the highly exclusive "Executive Branch" club?  A mere $500,000 - but apply today because that could go up!

Transportation Secretary Books Wife Away from Newark Airport

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, a former reality television star and congressman, assumed his current cabinet position on the very day that the army helicopter hit the passenger jet over the Potomac River in Washington, DC, killing all 67 people who were aboard the two aircraft.  Perhaps he should have taken that as an omen that air transport was about to become a critical issue in the United States.  That crash, plus a spate of subsequent incidents involving smaller aircraft, led Duffy to enter into an angry exchange with Elon Musk as the mad billionaire was swinging his battle ax through the federal government and eliminating many of its personnel - including some air traffic controllers and large numbers of people in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

 

Some of the air traffic controllers who had been forced out or chosen to suddenly retire were soon ushered back in to government service, but a tone had been established that air travel was not a major priority of the Trump administration and was becoming more unsafe.

There are three major airports serving the New York City area:  John F. Kennedy International (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LGA), and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) which is located in Newark, New Jersey.  Secretary Duffy, his wife, Rachel (also a former reality television star), and their nine children currently reside in New Jersey.

The Newark Airport has been in the national news recently on more than one occasion.  On April 28th that airport's communication system blacked out for ninety seconds causing the air traffic controllers to lose track of all air traffic during that time - a crisis situation for one of the three busiest airports in the New York City area.  That was followed by two more shorter blackouts during the same week.  The failures were later declared to be due to a failure in the copper wiring that transmits radar from New York to Philadelphia.  The Trump administration had recently fired hundreds of FAA workers including mechanics and aeronautical environmental protection specialists.    One day during that period the Newark Airport had just three air traffic controllers on duty instead of the fourteen agreed to by the union and the regulators.

Newark was a cascading mess, and flights in and out of the airport were reduced by the Department of Transportation under Duffy's guidance.  Things were slower but still Duffy and the administration yammered on that air travel in and out of Newark remained safe, and that any problems with air travel were Joe Biden's fault.  (The level of air traffic controllers increased during the Biden presidency over what they had been in the first Trump administration.)

This week, however, a news story broke saying that Duffy had rebooked his wife,  Rachel, out of Newark and onto a plane at another airport.  When confronted with that fact by members of Congress, Duffy countered that it was not a safety issue.  His wife is important and she needed to be somewhere, and traffic at Newark was slow in general and also suffering unexpected delays.

US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy did not want his beloved wife parked in an airport lounge for hours on end with common commuters and tourists.  She had to be somewhere!  Crap airline service is fine for you and me, but not for the Duffys!

Wise up, America.   Take the train or drive, and leave air travel to thrill-seekers and morons!

The Great Chicken Scramble

 

by Pa Rock

Reminiscer

A week or two ago I posted about an old Army buddy whose van had the back seats removed and a water bed installed on the floor of the vehicle.  He took a turn too fast one evening while rushing to a remote location for a date, causing the water to slosh to the side - and his van overturned.  I told that story as a lead into a more recent news story about a transport truck containing 800,000 loose dimes that turned over in Texas when the driver left the roadway and then jerked the wheel to recover - and his vehicle spilled its cargo over a busy Texas interstate.

Those tales, both of which were true, reminded me of one more truck and driver that underwent a similar experience on a beautiful Ozark, pine-covered hillside in the late 1950's when I was but a lad in elementary school.  It happened outside of my hometown of Noel, Missouri (the Christmas City of the Ozarks), and the truck was carrying packaged frozen chickens.  It was a large semi truck and trailer that should not have been on that small and very curvy country road, and the hill was steep.  When the truck and its trailer left the road, they rolled over at least once on the way down the hillside and the trailer doors came open scattering frozen chickens over a wide swath of swath of rugged terrain.

Noel was a nice little town in which to grow up, but it was never an overly prosperous community.  When word reached the streets about the accident and its result just a couple of miles outside of town, many residents rushed to the scene and began carting off frozen chickens.  Those fortunate enough to have home freezers ate chicken for months to come.  The driver, as I remember it, was not seriously injured and walked away from the accident, and when he returned his entire cargo was gone.

My family lived about four miles outside of town in the other direction, and we missed out, but that's okay because we didn't have a freezer anyway.   However, we had friends who ate well all winter.

Back in the day chicken was very common for family meals because it was cheap compared to beef - and there were no vegetarians - or if there were they kept that fact hidden.  Some meals were based around hamburger, but I was in college before I encountered my first steak.

Noel's first industry - which came along at about the time of the chicken truck overturning - was a chicken processing plant which became the major employer in the community.  The plant remained in operation for over sixty years before recently closing.  That business pumped plenty of regular pay checks into the local economy, but it also fouled the air and water, and significantly lowered the water tables in the area.  I worked at the "chicken plant" for three months or so during the time between when I graduated from college and reported for active duty with the US Army - but that experience is a whole other blog posting.

And yes, we still eat lots of chicken at our house today, but we get it at the grocery store and not by scrambling up and down some rural hillside like starving coyotes!    Rosie and Gypsy like chicken, too!

Impeachment Number Three is on the Horizon

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

The "GRRR" words:

Greed:   intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.

Graft:   the acquisition of money, power, or other advantages, through dishonest or illegal means, often involving the abuse of one's position.

Grift:   to obtain money or property illicity, as in a confidence game.

Several days ago in this space I posted about the Trump family's crypto  memecoin scheme business that they (Donald and his adult children) started last September during the presidential race.  The piece was entitled "Pure, Naked Corruption," and it focused on perks that the business was going to give to the 200 people who purchased the most "$TRUMP" meme coins, including dinner with Trump at one of his country clubs and a nighttime tour of the White House.   The scheme was clearly an attempt to sell more crypto meme coins by pairing it with access to the President of the United States.  

Meme coins are a type of crypto currency that originate as a meme or a joke and thrive around on-line communities of people sharing the same interest.  Their prices soar or drop as sales of the coin rise and fall.  They generally aren't backed by anything substantive, like a pile of gold bullion or reserves of established currency.

The Trump family owns the business and they also own the biggest share of the $TRUMP crypto currency, a commodity which they created.  The price of the $TRUMP currency fluctuates in conjunction with the buying and selling of the "currency" which is traded on-line - much like the stock market.  When Trump or his spawn hatch a plan to increase sales, such as with special White House tours, the price of the currency goes up as more is sold - and the value of the Trump family's holdings in the currency goes up as well.  The same thing happens when Trump gets on social media and proclaims "I love $TRUMP" as he did recently.  It reminds his sheeple to buy more - and, in so doing, puts more money into his pocket.

And when the Trump family suddenly cashes in their shares with no notice, as many predict they will, they will have sold high and the suckers will be left with $TRUMP (an imaginary currency maintained in cyber space) that is worth far less.  Some people won't care that much, because their primary reason for buying was to purchase access to Trump.   Others, the little fish, will care because they will lose money they can't afford to lose.

I covered all of that in the previous blog.  The people buying big amounts of $TRUMP are getting the access they were after, and by buying large amounts they are driving the price up so the Trumps will ultimately bank big bucks when they dump their shares.  It's a sweet deal for everyone except knuckleheads who bought theirs thinking they would hitch their star to Donald Trump's wagon and make some money.  Mostly they will lose.  

An entertainer whose blog I read described "Trump's crypto scheme" as a "pipeline for bribes," referring to the major purchasers who realize up front that they are likely to eventually lose their investment.  They aren't buying to win on the memecoins, the short game, they are in it for what special access to Trump can do for them further down the road, the long game.

One thing that I did not realize when I posted the initial blog about the $TRUMP crypto is that the owners of the business also collect a processing fee for every "coin" they sell.  I heard some chatter on a podcast the other day where some fairly bright people were speculating that the Trump family had already cleared (banked) over a billion dollars from just the fees for the sales of the cyber currency.

Senators Elizabeth Warren (D, MA) and Adam Schiff (D, CA) are calling for an ethics investigation into what they say appears to be a "pay to play" corruption scheme that shovels money from corporations and the very rich directly into the hands of the President and members of his family.

All of that along with the Qatar royal family trying to give Donald Trump a $400 million jetliner - something he really, really wants - makes the presidency appear to be a very lucrative job  - and certainly nothing like what the Founding Fathers envisioned.

Bring on that ethics investigation.   Impeachment number three is on the horizon, and maybe, at long last, so is some jail time!   

Gifts from Jihadists in Suits

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist 

Two months ago this blog carried a piece by me entitled "Influence Peddling 101" which discussed rich man Elon Musk's donations of nearly $300 million to the Trump campaign in 2024 as a way of purchasing influence with what he hoped would be the next presidential administration.  Musk's influence purchase paid off bigly when he was appointed head of a new (unofficial) government agency that the Trump administration created called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and the immigrant billionaire was essentially handed the keys to the government along with its private information on every American.

But the influence that Elon bought and paid for did not end with his ability to peek into every nook and cranny in the US government and to promote and protect his own business dealings with the government.  Oh, no.  Elon also got one of the world's greatest hucksters on speed dial.  When Elon's Tesla car business began sliding into the crapper because of the boss's inattention, he quickly rang up Donald and used his  bought-and-paid-for "influence" to get the President of the United States to host a Tesla infomercial on the South Lawn of the White House.  It was an appalling commercialization of America's House to benefit one car company over many others.

Influence peddling isn't the same thing as bribery.  It's not a quid pro quo - I'll do something for you in exchange for something from you.  Instead it's more like a bet on the future:  I'll do something for you, and when the need arises you can do something for me.  One party has gifted something in the hopes that one day that gift may influence an action by the other party.

Yesterday the news began circulating that the government of Qatar was giving a new $400 million Boeing 747 luxury jetliner to the Trump administration, a flying "palace in the sky," for use as Air Force One while he finishes serving out his second term.  But that pricey present is not a gift to the US government, at least not on a permanent basis.  When Trump leaves office it will become the property of his presidential library and available for his personal travel.

(Other former President's, those who didn't continually have their hands out and pockets open, fly commercial.)

It would take a complete blithering fool to believe the Qataris are not expecting a nice return on that investment.  This deal stinks so badly that even some of the hardcore MAGAts are repulsed.  Right-wing extremist Laura Loomer who has Trump's ear (the good one, not the one with the scratch) on hiring and firing, had this to say on "X":

I love President Trump.

I would take a bullet for him.

But, I have to call a spade a spade.

We cannot accept a $400 million "gift" from jihadists in suits.

The Qataris fund the same Iranian proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah who have murdered US Service Members.  The same proxies that have worked with the Mexican cartels to get jihadists across our border.

This is really going to be such a stain on the admin if this is true.

And I say that as someone who would take a bullet for Trump.

I'm so disappointed.

The Constitution bars Presidents from accepting gifts from foreign governments without the express permission of Congress, but apparently Attorney General Pam Bondi, who used to be a well paid lobbyist for Qatar, is reportedly prepared to sign off on the deal, as is also the White House lawyer.  Trump, who seems to really, really want this flying palace, is pointing out that it is not a bribe because Qatar is getting nothing in return.

At least not yet.

Meanwhile Republicans in the House are proposing steep cuts to Medicaid, ones that will reach deep into the pockets of many Americans, little girls are getting five dolls instead of thirty, and the price of eggs is still too damned high!

And Donald Trump will be flying in style for the rest of his life - thanks to jihadists in suits!

And the grift goes on . . . yeah, the grift goes on.

Malicious Mirror Mischief

 

by Pa Rock

Bird Fancier

A malevolent marauder has been menacing Massachusetts car mirrors of late, and creating a maelstrom of maddening public meltdowns.

Rockport, Massachusetts, is a beautiful seaside community located about forty miles northeast of Boston on the Cape Ann peninsula.  Rockport is so colorful and scenic that the small city of nearly seven thousand has been featured in several movies including "The Proposal," "CODA," and "Manchester by the Sea."  But for the past several weeks Rockport has been in the news for something other than stunning coastal scenery and touristy New England charm.

The town came under seige in April by a very determined Pileated Woodpecker (the largest breed of woodpecker in North America) who seemed to be at war with his own reflection and proceeded to break side mirrors and at least one side window on more than two dozen local vehicles.  The nuisance and damage was so unrelenting that many residents began tying garbage bags around their car mirrors.

The culprit wasn't identified for several days, but once he was spotted working on the mirror of a local truck, Rockport residents realized what they were up against - a very determined, 21-inch tall woodpecker - a bird of unquestioned authority who was not going to tolerate a bird just as big and colorful as himself invading his territory - especially during mating season.  Woody went to war with a wengeance  vengeance!

Apparently the angry bird has finally found a partner and has begun to settle down - like humans do as they pair up and get domesticated.

(Note:  It is important not to confuse woodpeckers, who are feathered, with peckerwoods, who wear suits and run the White House and hold Cabinet positions.  They are two distinctly different breeds of birds!)

Idiot Healthcare and the Fear of Fluoride

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

I've banged on in the space previously about the irrational fear that some members of the public have with fluoride being used as a component of good oral hygiene, but since the situation is rapidly becoming worse, I am overwhelmed by the urge to bang on some more.

Back in my parents' and grandparents' generation, people routinely had bad teeth, false teeth, or no teeth at all, but during the boom years after World War II, all of that started to change for two reasons:  more people could afford to go to the dentist, and local communities began to add fluoride to their water supplies.  As a result, many of us old codgers still have most or all of our natural teeth.

However, whenever something works, like fluoride in the water leading to better oral health, there is always a chorus of non-believers and conspiracy theorists at work trying to stop that progress and direct the efforts elsewhere.  Recently the state of Utah banned the use of fluoride in its public water systems statewide, and now there is a bill in Florida awaiting the governor's signature that will do the same thing in that state.  As that movement spreads, so, too, will the number of people with dental issues.

Political opposition to fluoridated water supplies comes from the libertarians, the John Birch Society, the Ku Klux Klan, the Green Party of the United States - and now it is being championed by the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  This week Secretary Kennedy, who is not a physician, made the bold statement with regard to fluoride that "the more you get, the stupider you are."

Needless to say, that statement by RFK, Jr, has no scientific basis in fact, but it is supported by certain conspiracy-focused groups on social media and it does make for a catchy meme.  

Wealthy parents will be able to protect their children and themselves from these idiot healthcare initiatives by continuing to visit the dentist for fluoride treatments as well as providing fluoride-based toothpaste and mouthwash in the home, but the failsafe protection of fluoride in the water systems is under attack.   The children in poorer families, those where dental visits cause financial hardship and are therefore more sporadic, and those where money is needed food, housing, babysitting, and transportation - and not luxuries like toothpaste and dental floss - those children will suffer, many for the rest of their lives.

An angry and petulant President who has long felt aggrieved by his better-educated countrymen could provide the political impetus to bring water fluoridation crashing down nationwide.

The measles epidemic is spreading, autistic Americans are on the verge of being registered and tracked by the government, and sound dental health is about to go into the crapper - all at the behest of a man who eats roadkill.    In our national battle for survival, the brain worm appears to be edging into the lead.

A Pope from the United States!

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

It only took two days for the 133 Cardinal electors who were conclaving in the Sistine Chapel to name a new pope.  The swiftness of the action would seem to indicate that the selection was relatively non-controversial.

The big news, of course, is that they selected Cardinal Robert Prevost, an Augustinian from the south side of Chicago, as the leader of the Catholic Church.  (South Chicago!  The Gallagher family would have been so proud!).  Cardinal Prevost, who from yesterday onward will be known as Pope Leo XIV, was born in Chicago with a "black Creole" lineage, and is a US citizen - but he is also a naturalized citizen of Peru having worked there among the poor, as a missionary and later as a Bishop for to decades.  

Early reports indicate that Pope Leo XIV is spiritually in tune with the major social themes supported by his predecessor, Pope Francis.  MAGA bellyacher Laura Loomer is incensed at the choice and says he is a 
"Marxist," and she would like for Trump to fire him, and RWNJ Steve Bannon has called Pope Leo XIV the "anti-Trump pope" - so he definitely sounds like a winner to this tired old typist!

The important thing is that the Catholic Church and its 1.4 billion followers have a new leader, and he appears to be fully aware of the needs of the least among us and has already demonstrated a willingness to go among them and do good works.   The new pope also seems to be fully aware of the plight of the planet and is ready to take up environmental causes.  The signs are positive, and the result of yesterday's vote in the College of Cardinals could have clearly been much worse.  

Godspeed, Pope Leo!

(One picky point:  As a former geography teacher at both the high school and community college levels, I would like to mention my concern regarding how the new pope is being talked about in the press.  The common theme seems to be that he is "the first American pope," which is technically not accurate.  Over the last two centuries people have come to speak of the United States as "America," when actually the name "America" encompasses all of North America, Central America, and South America.  Pope Francis, who was born in Argentina, was the first "American" pope, being South American.  Pope Leo XIV, is the first North American pope, and also the first to have been born in the United States - and the first to hold dual North American and South American citizenship - so I guess that makes him doubly American!)

My Ride in a Tesla

by Pa Rock

Homebody

I don't get out much, and that's on me.  Just trips to my squad of doctors, the pharmacy, and the grocery store.  Now I am also in cardiac rehab which adds a splash of variety to my life three afternoons a week, but basically I sit in front of the window and type, take care of the dogs, occasionally mow the huge yard (my son has gotten to where he often takes on that chore - and his efforts are much appreciated), and just watch the world as it grapples for meaning.

As the years slide by, I get out less and less.

A few years ago while on a visit to see grandchildren in Kansas City, my son and I pulled up behind a Tesla.  That was my first and only sighting of the vehicle that has become so infamous - until this past Monday

I was in Springfield, Missouri, for cataract surgery at the beginning of the week, staying a a hotel about two miles from the surgery center.  I arrived on Sunday afternoon, walked to dinner that evening, had a friend (Ranger Bob, yea!) drive me to the surgery Monday morning and take me back to the hotel afterward.   That evening I had dinner out again - this time at the home of Ranger Bob and his wonderful wife, Sandy, and because I was tired of imposing on their kindness, decided to go to their home by Uber.

I don't have an Uber account and probably would not be smart enough to use it even if I did, so my son in Kansas City, who occasionally drives for Uber, arranged my travel through his account.  When he called me back to confirm that a car was on the way, Tim casually informed me that it was a Tesla.

That would be something new!

A few minutes later a small-to-modest-sized white Tesla sedan pulled up in front of the lobby.   I walked around to the back passenger side and was having difficulty opening the door because I could not figure out how to work the handle - and I was also carrying a cake for the dinner.  The driver, a very nice Hispanic lady, rushed around to help me get in.

We rode in silence for a couple of minutes, but then the urge hit me to talk Tesla while I had such a golden opportunity.  I told the driver that I had never ridden in a Tesla before, and then I commented on the car's quietness.  But before I slathered it on too deeply, I also added that I was not a fan of "Mr. Musk."  Boo, hiss!

I could see her face in the rearview mirror and noticed that she appeared to be a little embarrassed, like she had probably heard that same sentiment before, most likely numerous times.  "Yes, I understand," she responded quietly.  Then she told me that she had owned her car for two years, from a time pre-dating Musk's negative notoriety - or at least some of it.

As our trip continued I told her about a dangerous encounter that my son had experienced while transporting a passenger within the past several days, and while the driver had been relatively quiet, that topic animated her.  She told me that she had concerns about safety and would not take fares after dark.  That also saved her from having to deal with the drunks who needed a ride home when the bars closed.  The driver said that her biggest problem had been a person with strong body odor, and that she had to spray and air out the car after that encounter.   I asked if she had ever had someone throw up in her car, and she replied that she had not, but that a friend who drove for the company had.  She said that he took a photo of the resulting mess and sent it in to the company, and they had responded by adding $150 to his account for cleaning.  I related to that with my own tale of a sick elementary school student who threw up in my car while I was driving him home.  My school district did not pay for the cleaning!

The ride was pleasant, and I heard absolutely no noises from the operation of the vehicle - and I would probably ride in a Tesla  again, but only if I was in a hurry and had no other option.   And I would certainly never buy one.  If Elon thinks that Social Security is a ponzi scheme, then I think supporting Tesla is driving in the passing lane on the road to fascism!

Tax the church, eat the rich, and boycott Tesla!

In the Bowels of the Vatican

 

by Pa Rock

Seriously Lapsed Catholic

The Conclave, or the secluded gathering of Roman Catholic Cardinals for the purpose of selecting a new Pope for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, begins today, under lock and key, in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.  There are currently 252 Cardinals, but only those under the age of 80 are permitted to vote in the papal election.  Those voting Cardinals are called "Cardinal Electors."    They currently number 133, and two-thirds of them must eventually agree on who will become the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church.   The Cardinal Electors are basically held incommunicado for as long as it takes.

Interestingly, the next Pope does not have to be a member of the College of Cardinals, but they have been chosen from that group exclusively since 1378 a.d.

For those who would like a crash course in the atmospherics and operations of the Conclave, I have two recommendations, both being works of fiction whose storylines are enmeshed in the process of selecting a Pope.    The first is the movie, "Conclave ," which is currently streaming on Prime.  As the film opens, the Pope has just died, and the remainder of the movie centers on the problems and intrigues of choosing the next Pope.  Much of the movie was filmed in Rome with no actual scenes from inside of the Vatican.   Sets from a local film studio were used as well as backdrops simulated through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).  But it all looked and felt real, and I was left with a clearer vision of what the actual Cardinals are now experiencing.

The novel, "Conclave," on which the film is based, was penned by Robert Harris, a British historical novelist and former journalist.  I have not read anything by Harris, but a good friend tells me that his novels are compelling.

Another novelist whose works are stuffed with intrigue and very compelling is Dan Brown, most famously known as being the author of "The DaVinci Code."  That was his second major novel, but his first - which I liked better - was a thriller entitled "Angels and Demons."   It focused on a fictional Conclave and the election of a Pope.  The movie version, which is very true to the novel, starred Tom Hanks, who also starred in the film version of "The Da Vinci Code."

I have read "Angels and Demons" and seen the movie at least twice.  I would recommend both without hesitation.  I have also watched "Conclave," and it, too, is very good historical fiction that never allows itself to get dull.

If you have an interest in Catholicism and what is actually occurring in Vatican City today - and possibly for many days to come, read or watch "Conclave" and/or "Angels and Demons."  Both contain plenty of twists and surprises, and will hold your interest - and both will give you a much better sense of what is actually occurring in the bowels of the Vatican this very day.

A Caveman Turns Twenty-Six

 

by Pa Rock

Proud Grandpa

My oldest grandchild, Boone Macy, who hasn't been a "child" since Hector was a pup, turns twenty-six today.  Boone is actually the one who, when he was just a wee sprout, gave me the name "Pa Rock," because he was already calling his other grandfather "Pa."

Boone and I were close when he was younger and took some nice trips together, once to San Diego where he saw an ocean for the first time and got to play in the surf, another to the Grand Canyon and Sedona, and one big excursion to Disney World at Orlando followed by a Disney cruise on the Caribbean.  We also were on a train trip together from Topeka, Kansas, to Flagstaff, Arizona.  But now he's older and can take trips on his own.

Boone, like many of us, went to school to learn one profession and wound up doing something quite different.  He has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, but earns his living as a tour guide in one of southwest Missouri's nicer caves.  So he talks smack to tourists during his workdays while explaining rock formations and the ecosystem of caves - and probably dodging the occasional bat.    During his free time, I understand that Boone likes to spelunk in many of the other caves in the area that have yet to be opened to tourists.  It sounds like my grandson has found his passion, and Pa Rock is very happy about that.

Do what you love and the money will follow - or not - but do not go through life working at a job you hate.

Boone, I hear great things about you.  Keep making us all proud - and stay in touch.

Freedom Couched in Fear Isn't Freedom at All

 

by Pa Rock

Periodista Ciudadano

Today is "Cinco de M ayo," the Mexican Independence Day, a celebration of the day in 1862 when Mexican troops defeated their French overlords in the Battle of Puebla (El Dia de la Batalia de Puebla).  

I grew up in a rural corner of the world that was non-multicultural (at least at that time), and I don't remember hearing about the Mexican holiday until my time in college, and even then just barely.  However, I do remember one of those small elementary school musical extravaganzas in which the music teacher marched each of her classes out onto the school stage to show off their singing talents to a gym full of tired parents, and my group had to sing an old Gene Autry standard, "South of the Border, Down Mexico Way."  (Frank Sinatra and Patsy Cline also recorded it, among others.). "Ay ay ay ay, ay ay ay ay!"

My first real submersion into the multicultural world came during the four years that I served with the US Army during the early 1970's.   Cinco de Mayo was discussed among at least certain groups in the military, and it was a ready excuse to offer specials on margaritas and tacos at many of the service clubs.

My oldest grandson, Boone, was born just an hour-and-a-half after the close of Cinco de Mayo in 1999.    At that time the US Postal Service printed stamps honoring the holiday each year, and I bought several books of them when it looked like he might be born on the holiday, thinking his parents could use theem in sending out his birth announcements.

Today the current administration would never allow Cinco de Mayo stamps because to do so would imply a bias against our nation's long and hallowed recognition of white privilege.  (Trump's war on multiculturalism is his loss, even if he isn't smart enough t know it.)

My favorite memory of Cinco de Mayo happened during my last career while I was a civilian social worker with the military.   Each year we were required to attend one or more trainings - usually of a week's duration - and they were always held in San Antonio. - which has the best Mexican food anywhere north of the border!   One of those trainings occurred over Cinco de Mayo, and I was there for the big parade, a beautiful experience highlighted by plenty of good Mexican food and libations!

I am currently in Springfield, Missouri, awaiting eye surgery later today.  Last night I went for a walk-about and wound up having dinner in an Asian restaurant.  Most of the clientele seemed to be Hispanic families, and I thought that Asian cuisine was somewhat of an odd choice of Cinco de Mayo weekend - but they all seemed to be enjoying their meals, and so did I.  I did sit there thinking, though, about how awful it must be to constantly worry that your own government might suddenly descend on you, because of your last name or physical features, and rip you from your family without warning, or a valid reason, or a chance to state or prove your right to be here.

Most "immigrants" in the United States are here legally, either to study or work, and every single human being in this country has the right to go before a judge and state their case before being deported or simply transported out of the country - it's called "due process," and whether Donald Trump recognizes that right or not, due process is guaranteed in the US Constitution.

May this Cinco de Mayo be happy and festive for everyone of Mexican heritage and for all of us who desire nothing more than to be good, welcoming neighbors.  You add so much to this nation. May your day be festive, happy, peaceful, and free from fear - because freedom couched in fear isn't freedom at all.

Eye Surgery, a Luau, and Thoughts on Aging

by Pa Rock

Old Codger

I will be heading to Springfield, Missouri, later today in preparation for cataract surgery in the morning.  The left eye will be first, and in two weeks the doctor will fix the right eye.  My vision has been getting steadily worse over the past year, and during my recent eye exam the doctor told me that it was time for this procedure.  I will be staying in a local motel during the two-day ordeal of the surgery and the follow-up visit, and good friend Ranger Bob has agreed to act as my driver on the day of the surgery - a clinic requirement - they don't want me leaving after the surgery and then playing bumper cars on Glenstone Avenue!

It will be nice seeing Ranger Bob and Sandy again.  Our last visit was in April of last year when they came to West Plains to observe the solar eclipse.

When I learned a little over a week ago that I was about to undergo cataract surgery, I was somewhat anxious.  Having someone operate on your eyeball sounds very concerning.  But since then I have talked to several people - all younger than me - who have already had it done and are very pleased with the results.  I did hear one cautionary tale, however.  A friend of my son's said that her mother went through the procedure, just on one eye, and now that eye glows in the dark "like a cat's."

So I have that possibility to look forward to, as well.  Look for me in a darkened movie theatre near you!

I received a very colorful postcard in the mail a few days ago bearing an invitation to attend a "Luau" at a local retirement home.   It suggested that I wear my favorite island attire "and escape to an island-inspired evening filled with tropical flavors, lively games, and great company."   And it is all free!

I've been to a couple of great luaus in my time.  Both were in Hawaii.  Take me there, or to Bora Bora, and we'll talk, but short of that, no thanks.    I think I would rather accept my latest invitation to "enjoy" a free meal at the local steakhouse while listening to a hungry salesman who is working for a commission deliver s spiel on the miracle of double-paned windows or seamless guttering.  There is also another guy who keeps inviting me for a free meal so I can hear his presentation on hearing aids.

(A very old joke tells us that if you wear condoms on your ears, hearing aids will never be an issue!)

Old people seem to attract hucksters - like cows draw flies.

I recognize that I am in the sunset of my life and may one day have to submit to being warehoused so as not to be a burden to my loved ones, but that will not happen as long as I have the ability to bite, kick, and cuss my way into a jail cell instead.   

So keep your barbecued shrimp and pineapple puree, or whatever fun-fare you have planned for your exotic Luau, Shady Pines.  It all sounds lovely, but I'm sure somebody else will come along who really needs to be warehoused.  You wouldn't like me anyway, because I would let you know 24/7 that I didn't want to be there - and I don't play well with others!

To paraphrase the late philosopher, Groucho Marx, "I would not want to reside in any retirement home that would have me as a resident."

Aloha!

The Big, Bad Birthday Parade

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Donald John Trump, a man who actively "avoided" the military draft on five separate occasions in the 1960's during the Vietnam War era, but who has now remade himself into a super patriot, is absolutely mad with the notion of presiding over a massive military parade, a show of his own strength and that of his military, one that will impress all the other so-called world leaders, and remind citizens of the United States that he is the boss.  

Trump became consumed with the idea while on a visit to Paris in the summer of 2017 where he was on hand to view the annual French "Bastille Day" parade.  He returned to America and tried to promote the idea, but was never able to get it going due to resistance from members of Congress, the city of Washington, DC (which didn't want tanks rolling over its streets and destroying the pavement), and members of the military itself.  The Pentagon estimated that such a parade would cost in the neighborhood of $92 million, a not so "efficient" use of taxpayer dollars.

But things are running differently during Trump's second term.  If he wants to do something, he does it.  End of discussion.

The Washington City Paper announced last month that military officials and the Trump administration were planning a big military parade in June to honor the 250th anniversary of the US Army.  The report indicated that the parade could stretch four-and-a-half miles from the Pentagon to the White House.

This week the Associated Press (AP) obtained and published some preliminary plans for the parade which is planned for June 14th, Trump's 79th birthday.  The event is being referred to in some press accounts as "Trump's Birthday Parade," and the Army Times ran this headline yesterday:  "Army plans for Trump birthday parade include 6600 troops."  

In addition to those 6,600 active duty soldiers, the extravaganza will also include at least 150 vehicles, 50 helicopters, seven bands, and possibly a few thousand civilians.  The material accessed by the Associated Press did not include cost estimates, but moving all of the equipment and military personnel from various parts of the country to Washington, DC, would certainly be expensive, as would feeding and housing the troops participating in the event.

And then, of course, there will be the costs incurred by the city of Washington, DC - street repair (if needed), traffic management, crowd control, and cleaning-up after the revelers go home.

There will also be the costs of erecting a grandstand so that Trump could be seen, as well as to provide seating for the oligarchs and their girlfriends.  

It will not be a cheap affair.  Donald John Trump no longer does cheap affairs now that he is able to access the US Treasury.

I will admit to being a little envious.  While I am not as old as Donald Trump,  I am more truthful and better looking (even without make-up), I did serve on active duty in the US Army for four long years during the same time period in which he should have served, I have never been charged with or convicted of a felony - let alone forty-three, and I pay my taxes and am not afraid to reveal my tax returns.  

My birthday was last month - where the hell was my parade?

Trump's will be June 14th.  Mark those calendars.  Remember, it's always about him!

Waterbeds, Dimes, and DOGE

 

by Pa Rock

Reminiscer 

More than five decades ago when I was on active duty with the US Army, I served with a young man who had quite the way with women.  He was so confident of his abilities with the fairer sex that he had the backseats removed from his old van and installed a large mattress on the floor behind the driver and passenger seats so that if he got "lucky" while on a date, as he usually did, my friend did not have to waste ten or even fifteen dollars on a motel room.  

Those rolling pleasure palaces were not all that uncommon in the late sixties and early seventies, and my friend decided to make his extra-special so that it would stand out from the rest.  His included stereo speakers, fancy curtains, and finally he got rid of the mattress and put in a waterbed.  At that time waterbeds were just starting to make an appearance in America's bedrooms, and the basic ones were large, heavy duty, vinyl envelopes measuring several feet in each direction that were placed right on the floor and filled with a garden hose.  My friend found one that fit perfectly in the back of his van, filled it, and was off to the races!

He had a successful date or two, and things were all hunky and dory until one night while in a rush to get to a secluded location, he took a corner too fast, several hundred pounds of water in the mattress suddenly sloshed and shifted with the curve, and the van rolled over bursting the mattress and almost drowning the young soldier and his startled date.

Talk about a mood-spoiler!  

Yesterday was the first time I had thought about my friend's memorable misadventure in many years, and the thing that brought it to mind was a story that I heard on National Public Radio (NPR).  This past Tuesday morning, a little before daylight, a semi-tractor-trailer rig veered off of a major highway in Wise County, Texas, just north of the community of Alvord and about 75 miles from Dallas.   The driver over-corrected as he jerked the steering wheel trying to get his big rig back on the road, and the vehicle rolled over onto the roadway.  What brought that about was undoubtedly the same thing that caused my friend's van to roll over fifty years earlier - the weight in the back shifted.

The truck's cargo was from the US Mint in Denver, and it consisted of 8 million, freshly-minted, slick, loose dimes - or $800,000 - which spilled out all over the roadway.  The truck's ultimate destination was not released to the media, but the assumption was that it was headed to the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas.

The truck driver and his passenger, an armed guard, were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the truck was reported to have suffered "moderate" damage.  Cleanup was conducted by local law enforcement, and fire department, the county sheriff's department, and representatives from the US Treasury.  The highway was closed for about 14 hours and reopened at around 7:00 that evening.  

The clean-up process included buckets and shovels along with trucks with vacuum hoses like the ones used to remove sewage and water.

Because the massive load of dimes appears to have been the property of the federal government, and because, unlike some in the billionaire class, I support the government through my taxes, this taxpayer would like verification that all of that public money has been recovered, and to that end I have come up with a plan:   All those dimes should be taken to a secure location, a windowless warehouse, for instance, and then Elon, Big Balls, and the rest of the DOGE team should be sent in with their pocket calculators to count them.  It would certainly be a more "efficient" use of DOGE than the public has witnessed so far.  

Maybe they could roll those dimes while they are at it.

Bezos Folds as Elderly Politician Throws Hissy Fit

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Good news regarding rich guy Jeff Bezos or his flagship company, Amazon. com, is often hard to come by, but earlier this week there was a ray of sunshine emanating from Seattle when a news story broke which said Amazon would be showing how much the Trump tariffs had added to the cost of the items they are selling.   That definitely had the ring of a consumer-friendly overture from one of the world's largest retailers, and a move that would have taken some heat off of the company for its sudden higher pricing due to Trump's tariffs and the retaliatory tariffs imposed by other countries.

But the Trump administration is decidedly not friendly to consumers and certainly cannot be bothered by their opinions during a non-election year.  No sooner had that news leaked, however,  when White House flak Karoline Leavitt raced to a microphone and made the administration's displeasure known by telling reporters that the move to highlight the actual cost of the tariffs to consumers was a "hostile and political act."

When the boss, Don Trump, finally got his make-up on and sauntered into the office later in the day, he telephoned the real billionaire in Seattle and expressed his displeasure at the idea - and Bezos immediately folded like the proverbial "cheap card table."  The majority owner of Amazon stock tried to brush it off as "fake news," saying that the company had never really planned to be that open with its customers.  Another Amazon spokesperson said the plan had been considered by one of Amazon's departments but was now "not going to happen."  

Game, set, and match:  Trump.

So, for the time being at least, Amazon.com and the United States of America will both continue doing business as usual - and transparency and public accountability be damned.  Trump will tell Americans what he thinks they need to know, and Jeff Bezos will sit in a corner with his mouth shut.

Amazon lost its class and its backbone when MacKenzie left.

(Note:  The price of Amazon stock has dropped 15% this year and 5% since Trump's "Liberation Day" on April 2nd.)